Blackberry Summer

What she didn’t need was a tragic car accident. As a single mom and the owner of a successful bead shop, Claire leads a predictable life in Hope’s Crossing, Colorado. So what if she has no time for romance? At least, that’s what she tells herself, especially when her best friend’s sexy younger brother comes back to town as the new chief of police.

But when the accident forces Claire to slow down and lean on othersespecially Riley McKnight she realizes, for the first time, that things need to change. And not just in her own life. The accidentand the string of robberies committed by teenagers that led up to it is a wake-up call to the people of Hope’s Crossing. The sense of community and togetherness had been lost during those tough years. But with a mysterious “Angel of Hope” working to inspire the town, Riley and Claire will find themselves opening up to love and other possibilities by the end of an extraordinary summer .

My thoughts.I wanted to really like this book, but I found it dragged. I love the cover, it’s enticing and promising. Blackberry Summer is a book set in a small town community, and is about the local people. I generally love books like this and Emily March, Jodi Thomas, Debbie Macomber, Lisa Kleypas, Susan Mallery and Robyn Carr have kept me well entertained with similar books.

I found myself somewhat confused by all the characters, introduced too soon, or perhaps mentioned where there was no need to do so. The plot was reasonable and it did keep me reading to the end, with some speed reading here and there! However I just did not fall in love with the town or the characters. I won’t be reading anymore in the series. It didn’t make me thirst for more.